Poems
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Purgatory Players
November, 2015
"The Purgatory Players"
by Chad Gardner
The adults sit and listen.
Guitars on the small stage sing the tight harmonies of old
practiced gospels.
Their voices bear the scratch marks from last night's smoke-filled halls
but still seep out with the soft ease of mastery.
We pass the tip jar down the aisle like on the Sunday mornings
of our youth, also practiced,
collecting money for the area food bank...
Poetry
Why?
July, 2015
"Why?" by Chad Gardner
Inspired by a passage from Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
Because we are beings who live in a world where one thing follows another.
Because correlation does not imply causation.
Because we don't know everything.
Because this is the only earth.
Because community gardens might be the only thing left that can save the world.
Because I need my neighbors.
Because my neighbors need me.
Because difference should be cherished...
Poetry
Space & Place
March, 2014
The other night I had the pleasure of attending a small dinner and concert at a little bed and breakfast in Dripping Springs. The original house was built in 1857, and the evening began with a brief history of the original owners and how it came to be what it is today. Overall the evening was beautiful. It was small; no more than twenty-five people, with the dining room doubling as the concert space...
Poetry Reflection
A Traffic Poem
January, 2014
Those of you who know me or who have been following this blog probably know that I thoroughly enjoy the poetry of Billy Collins. Agata and I were lucky enough to get to hear him read and speak at the Paramount last week here in Austin. I used to write a lot of poetry when I was younger; I even took a year of creative writing classes in undergrad, but none of it was ever very good. I recently decided to try my hand again. So, inspired by Collins, here is my first...
Poetry
Poetry and the Past
October, 2013
Every now and then, more so these days, I need a little reminder that life isn't quite so serious as it's made out to be. Cosmic forces do not hang in the balance. There aren't answers to the all-consuming questions of life. And sometimes, there really isn't anything else I should be doing. I have yet to find a better way to jostle a melancholy mood than Billy Collins. The former Poet Laureate has mastered the art of embarrassing his readers back to a state of sober levity...
Reflection Poetry
